Chapter 89: Arrival

“How is the news?”

Wu Ming asked directly.

“Reporting to Young Master!”

Zhao Song’s expression was somewhat odd. “Your servant traveled to other prefectures, inquired thoroughly, and obtained the latest intelligence on the Xie family from Luoshui…”

Then, he seemed somewhat ashamed: “But it’s mostly superficial, mostly hearsay…”

“Even so, it’s still impressive… Just go ahead and report!”

Wu Ming looked somewhat dazed, waving his hand.

The Luoshui Xie family!

This was the family where Xiaoyu and Xiaodi were located in the reincarnation world.

After the fact, Wu Ming investigated the records of gentry in various provinces and naturally found its roots, which were indeed extraordinary.

“The Luoshui Xie family traces back to the Shang Dynasty. When the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, their ancestor served the Zhou Taizu and was enfeoffed as a count. Although not hereditary, it laid the foundation for the family. Since then, they have resided in Luoshui, influencing the provinces and prefectures. They have even produced several high-ranking officials at the provincial level. Although not among the top aristocratic families, they are among the best of the second-tier families and have an excellent reputation…”

Wu Ming recalled the information he had gathered, his expression somewhat peculiar.

“Regarding the Xie family, your servant sought out several merchant caravans and locals from Luoshui in other prefectures and secretly inquired, obtaining two pieces of information…”

Zhao Song continued: “Firstly, although this family claims to be a scholarly household, it seems to have a Daoist inheritance, and their ancestors were not from military or literary backgrounds…”

“Daoist cultivators… from a noble family?”

Wu Ming found it somewhat amusing at first, but soon realized.

If the entire family cultivates the Dao, it is impossible to sustain the family’s foundation. However, if a few direct-line Daoist heirs emerge in each generation, their fortune would be ample enough to support them.

Moreover, with the support of such a powerful family, their Daoist cultivation would certainly advance rapidly, which in turn would benefit the family, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

“The second point, and the most widely spread recently, is the sudden deaths of the ‘Twin Pearls’ of the Xie family!”

“The Twin Pearls of the Xie family?”

Wu Ming’s eyes flashed with a glint, murmuring.

“Exactly! It is said these two girls were direct descendants of the Xie family, both highly educated, intelligent, and shared an exceptional bond, hence they were collectively referred to as the ‘Twin Pearls,’ a source of immense pride for the Xie family. The young noblemen around Luoshui were all smitten by them, and even the current emperor reportedly considered selecting one as a consort, only to be tactfully declined… However, beginning last year, they suddenly passed away one after another, officially reported as deaths due to illness…”

Zhao Song continued: “It is said the younger sister was the first to meet misfortune, and the elder sister, missing her dearly, moved into her younger sister’s old residence and likewise contracted the plague… Alas…”

His sigh was casual, but Wu Ming sighed genuinely.

Thinking of the two women, Xiaoyu and Xiaodi, they were indeed quite unfortunate.

Xie Xiaoyu was acceptable, her Daoist cultivation not yet refined, dying under a hail of arrows, which was regrettable but unavoidable.

But Xie Xiaodi clearly possessed Daoist abilities, her eloquence and insight surpassing even her younger sister. However, since the last mission, after breaking the dragon vein, she had not been seen again.

Wu Ming speculated that it was either Yu Shaojun or Hu Zhenren who had done this.

Even if these two had not acted, facing the “Shen Shen Annihilation” strategy of Wu Ming and Yu Shaojun, who shamelessly competed to see who could sink lower, they had truly met with the worst of luck.

Seeing the mission about to be completed, only to fall into despair, it was surely not a pleasant experience.

Unless they were blessed with an extraordinary stroke of luck, possessing the authority to avoid annihilation, otherwise there was no way to survive!

Now, according to the information obtained from the Xie family, the likelihood of this young woman’s demise was high, which could not help but make Wu Ming sigh deeply.

“Young Master… If there’s nothing else, may I take my leave?”

Zhao Song, seeing Wu Ming’s peculiar expression, asked nervously.

He secretly thought: “This Young Master used to be known for his flamboyant nature, but now he exerts his own authority, his thoughts unfathomable. He even ordered me to gather information on the Xie family. Could it be that his standards have risen, and he has set his eyes on those two sisters?”

“Mmm! You may leave. You’ve worked hard this time, go to the accounting office and collect a hundred taels of silver!”

Wu Ming, unaware of Zhao Song’s inner thoughts, waved his hand generously.

His family was quite wealthy, especially after the recent raid on the Zhou family, making finances even more abundant. Zhao Song, hearing this, felt his heart warm, bowed again, and withdrew.

Wu Ming gazed at the flickering lamp, his expression resolute.

Although he wielded multiple authorities, the obliteration from the Divine Hall still posed a grave threat to him.

Without a cautious and careful mindset, treating the reincarnation world as a mere game, the examples of Yu Shaojun and the Twin Pearls of the Xie family would be his future!

Moreover, the previous message from the Shen Shen Hall, 【Authority increased to peak, possible mission against other players!】, also made Wu Ming uneasy.

This not only revealed the existence of other reincarnators within the Divine Hall, but also implied that they were mortal enemies with no possibility of reconciliation. Once these two crossed paths, only one would emerge alive!

“I wonder what my next mission will bring?”

Wu Ming’s eyes were dark, mixed with a hint of anticipation.

Since he had resolved to master the Divine Hall and strive for the pinnacle, he would have no regrets even if faced with a hundred setbacks!

…

Time passed swiftly.

The weather gradually became hotter, though still with a chill in the wind. However, since Wu Ming began cultivating Dao, he had advanced rapidly and already reached a state where neither cold nor heat could affect him. He wore only a single layer of clothing and a bamboo hat, appearing leisurely and detached as he walked along a small path between the fields.

To an onlooker, he appeared as a graceful young man, with a face like carved jade and eyes like black lacquer, exuding a faintly ethereal demeanor, truly incomparably elegant.

Compared to him, the old man Sun beside him was still wearing thick cotton, running to keep up, panting as he introduced: “The one hundred mu of ‘experimental fields’ you mentioned are divided into ten plots, each ten mu. One plot tests fertilizer, one tests seeds, one is a rice field, combined with fish farming methods, and… the last plot remains untouched as a control!”

“Hmm, you’ve done well!”

Wu Ming saw the green sprouts in the fields, a scene full of vitality, and nodded approvingly.

They arrived at a rice field, where there was water in the field. Around the rice seedlings and in the water, several creatures were swimming, their backs creating ripples in the water.

Old man Sun immediately said: “This is the rice-fish farming method you mentioned. I experimented a few times and found it truly quite effective, significantly increasing production by one or two cheng and also providing fish harvest. It’s a win-win situation. Young Master, receiving such divine inspiration is indeed a great blessing!”

This deliberate flattery did not please Wu Ming.

He saw that there were still many people working in the paddy fields. When they saw old man Sun, they all smiled warmly, looking at him with a bit of shyness.

Although paddy fields yield more, they require more labor, so having many people working was normal.

Old man Sun rubbed his hands together, smiling: “These villagers don’t know much about etiquette. I hope Young Master won’t mind!”

“Never mind!”

Wu Ming squatted down, seeing bamboo fences in the rice fields, finely meshed, forming a grid, and couldn’t help but smile: “I forgot to mention this method before, it’s commendable that you thought of it… These fish fry must have given you quite a bit of trouble, right?”

The rice-fish farming method was something he had only vaguely read about in his previous life, just mentioned it briefly, how could he remember it so clearly?

Wu Ming only vaguely remembered that raising fish in rice fields could let the fish eat pests, protect the rice, increase production, and also obtain fish, which was a win-win situation.

But if good fish breeds were not selected and not guided and protected at the beginning, the fish fry might eat the rice seedlings, resulting in nothing.

Looking at it now, old man Sun, being an experienced farmer, had indeed figured out something.

“Where! Young Master is a genius, thinking of such great methods!”

Old man Sun nodded repeatedly.

“Great methods? Then tomorrow, my entire field will be converted to paddy fields, raising fish fry, how about that?” Wu Ming asked with a half-smile, immediately making old man Sun’s face pale.

“Haha… Never mind, I was just kidding you!”

Seeing old man Sun’s expression as if his soul had left his body, Wu Ming couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a bit guilty. Previously relieved, acting on a whim, why scare an honest man?

He immediately said: “Don’t worry, I’m not completely clueless. Farming relates to the livelihood of the people, and it’s most taboo to make drastic changes at the beginning, which can exhaust the people’s strength!”

“Moreover… the rice-fish farming method requires first-rate paddy fields and also requires several more workers than ordinary paddy fields, demanding meticulous farming, making it unsuitable for large-scale promotion!”

“Exactly! Exactly!”

Old man Sun nodded repeatedly, almost kneeling to Wu Ming.

He clearly knew that if the young master really pushed this through, he would immediately become the villain in the eyes of the villagers, being criticized and possibly even attacked at night—it was cutting off people’s livelihood, so others might not give him a way to live.

Now, the young master was just experimenting on a small scale, which was already a blessing from Buddha.

At the same time, he felt somewhat surprised.

In his impression, the young master of the Wu family was like all the young people, impulsive, eager to do good, and fond of grand achievements. To put it bluntly, he was a wastrel!

But now, it seemed as if he had changed into someone else.

Although these new agricultural methods were mostly imagined and labor-intensive, a few of them were indeed good. Old man Sun had already decided—after returning home, he would apply them to his own fields.

Just then, he saw the young master startled, so he stepped forward and asked with concern: “Is the young master tired? Why not rest for a while in the pavilion ahead?”

“Okay!”

Wu Ming gritted his teeth, his expression more solemn than ever. He entered the pavilion, sat down, and remained silent.

Even when old man Sun eagerly wiped a large coarse porcelain bowl of tea with his sleeve several times before offering it, he did not touch it, making old man Sun secretly amazed and somewhat disdainful.

He regarded Wu Ming as one of those wealthy young men who were idle and ignorant of farming, thinking that walking a few steps into the fields had exhausted him so much.

At this moment, Wu Ming was too preoccupied to even bother with him.

For the long-awaited message from the Divine Hall had finally surfaced in his mind.

[Ding! Esteemed Reincarnator Number Gengshen 69, Divine Envoy! Your mission will commence in three days at midnight. Please prepare accordingly!]

[This mission is a medium-sized task! Scene size: Medium!]

[Mission difficulty: Cosmic!]

[Note: This mission is a real one; Reincarnators will truly descend into this world!]